Richard Steven “Dick” Lee | Obituaries

June 26, 1946 – November 27, 2021

Richard Steven “Dick” Lee died at the age of 75 after a tough battle with lung cancer on Saturday, November 27, 2021 at VA Portland Hospital.

He was a longtime resident of Ridgefield, Washington. Richard was born on June 26, 1946 in Portland, Oregon to Calvin C. and Lusitania (Crowe) Lee. He was the fifth of their eight children. He and his family survived the 1948 Vanport, Oregon Flood. He spent most of his childhood in Cowlitz County. After the Flood, they moved to Longview, Carrolls, Rose Valley, then Kalama, Washington, where he graduated from high school in 1965.

As a young person he loved fishing, camping, hunting and working on his car. Richard was drafted into the army and served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. He married Mary K. Honeycutt on December 5, 1975. They settled in Vancouver, Washington, and in 1986 bought their home in Ridgefield, Washington, where he lived for the rest of his life. Richard worked as a salesperson at Sears in Longview, Washington, was a card room manager in Vancouver, Washington, and worked for Waste Connections in Vancouver, Washington until he retired in 2014.

Richard enjoyed cooking and would often perfect a recipe before moving on to his next culinary challenge. He made the best chocolate fudge, peach pies, chocolate chip cookies, and a pork dish that he learned from a colleague stationed in the Philippines. Richard spent countless hours teaching his children how to prepare this treasured dish he called “killagree” so that we could pass it on to our children. He was smart, honest, and wasn’t afraid to stand up when he felt a wrong was being done.

Richard preceded his parents in death; his stepfather Arnie Myllylouma; and his brothers Don, Robert, Bill, Vick and Art Lee. He is survived by his wife, Mary Lee; Sisters Linda Lee Palmer and Charma Lee Pederson; Children Teresa Spliethof (Bobby), Steven Lee, Angela Kruger (Bracken), Alaina Johnson (John); and his grandsons Julia Johnson, Berett Kruger, Wyatt Johnson, and Emmalynn Kruger.

His family would like to express their deep gratitude to the staff at Portland VA Hospital, OHSU, and especially the Portland VA Oncology Department.

A memorial service for Richard will be held on Saturday, December 4th at 1:00 p.m. at Kalama IOOF Hall, 222 N. First St., Kalama, Washington. After the memorial, all visitors are invited to stop for a little refreshment. Instead of flowers, a memorial donation can be made to Kalama VFW Post No. 10435 or to the Fisher House Foundation.